Eight years of Moore’s statutory-maximum sentence is mandatory. Additionally, Moore will have to register as a Tier III sex offender for the rest of his life as part of the sentence. Moore pleaded guilty to the charges Sept. 3.

“I’m trying to protect [the victim] from being subjected to being put on the stand basically and being ripped apart,” Moore said before he was sentenced. “… I just hope and pray beyond all hope that [the victim can] move forward and get back to [his or her] normal life. I’m just sorry for the way everything has worked out.”

Greene County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Alice DeWine asked for maximum, consecutive sentences in the case, “due to the severity of the crime and the young age of the victim and also the defendant’s criminal history.”

Moore was convicted on three counts in 1997, two of which were later merged in 2000: first-degree felony conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and first-degree felony attempted complicity to aggravated murder, as well as third-degree felony attempted complicity to felonious assault. Moore was sentenced to serve 12 years in prison for those charges.

DeWine also read a statement written by the victim’s father as part of Wednesday’s proceedings: “When the child says, ‘Mommy, daddy, someone is hurting me,’ don’t ignore that, or tell them to quit making up stories, or just let it keep happening, or even all of the above. It betrays a sacred trust a child instills in a parent to protect them and keep them safe.

“… When a child says, ‘Please save me from the monsters,’ they might not be talking about the ones under the bed,” the father wrote. “They might be talking about the ones hidden in plain sight.”